finding neither subjects nor an artistic environment that suited him, he left london and traveled 275 miles to the north. he settled in the small fishing village of cullercoats on the north sea and rented a studio two houses from the rescue station, overlooking the beach. here was his first encounter with the wild and elemental forces of nature. the rhythm of life in cullercoats was termined by the fishing boats, which set out at dusk and returned in the morning. gradually, homer began to replace descriptive detail with the concentrated drama of individuals bent on the task of survival in a rugged environment. although he had intended to stay in cullercoats only for the summer, he remained almost two years. in october, he watched the life brigade rescue the crew of a wrecked ship-- the iron crown. he sketched the scene from the beach and later painted one of his largest and most ambitious watercolors. at cullercoats, homer's works took on a new monumentality. in the lives of the fisherwomen, he perceived both the gravity of the human condition and the physical power of nature. to home